Thanks to PZ Myers for calling attention to this superb video of Corydceps, a parasitic fungus that drives its insect host up a plant before growing a spike out of its head. Leave it to David Attenborough, master of the nature documentary, to bring the beauty of this parasite to video. I’ve seen photographs of Cordyceps before, but I never knew it made such a graceful entrance.

What’s particularly cool about Cordyceps is that it is not alone. Other parasites drive their hosts to bizarre heights. Another fungus, called Entomophthora muscae, drives houseflies and other insects upwards, climbing screen doors in some cases, before springing out of its host’s body.

Continue reading “Your Monday Morning Parasite Show (Safe for Breakfast)” →

Well, it’s been worth the wait. The week-long attack from the intelligent design crowd on me explodes in a final fireball of absurdity. Read more in the final update of my response to the Pinto-loving Discovery Institute. 

Originally published November 20, 2006. Copyright 2006 Carl Zimmer.

The Discovery Institute has fired a second post at me and my National Geographic article on evolution. I’ve updated my post to explain why they’re shooting blanks.

In the comment thread, some people asked why I was wasting time dealing with this stuff. The reason is simple: if I don’t show why these attacks are baseless, some people may assume there’s some truth to them. And since I put a fair amount of work into this article, I want to do my part to set things straight. Since the Discovery Institute does not see fit to put a comment thread on their “Evolution News and Views” site, this is the next best place for me to go about this. 

Continue reading “The Mooney Treatment: Part Deux” →

Well, the talk at Cornell last week went very well. Thanks to everyone who came. If you want to hear me wax rhapsodic about parasite manipulations (and explain how scientists study their evolution), you’re in luck. Cornell has put the video of the talk online. The image is pretty small on the screen, so I decided to post the slide show on my web site here. I suggest opening two screens and advancing the slides as the talk progresses.

At first the sound is a little scratchy on the video and the light balance takes a while to get properly adjusted. But don’t give up–it evens out. You may also hear a baby gurgling from time to time.

Continue reading “Possessed: Parasite Video and Powerpoint” →